Agility question

Okay, I have been tossing around the idea of learning to do agility with Ryleigh. She is a very attentive little girl, especially for as stubborn as chihuahuas can be (Chopper:D). I know there are several of you on here that do participate in agility or maybe some of you that have in the past.

Could you give me any tips, what to look for in a trainer, etc.

I am getting ready to sign her up for obedience, she knows the basics but I want them reinforced. Unfortunately the one trainer I am looking into right now does not have any classes available until the fall, I want her in a class because I want her to have even more socialization and I want her to have the destraction of other pups/dogs and people around her and still learn to focus only on me versus doing the one on one class which I could get sooner. I feel there is more benefit to the class setting.

Any advice anyone has to offer would be greatly appreciated.

You can never have enough obedience. :) I would sign up for the agility classes that are in the fall, as soon as possible. Our classes that we offer tend to be full up to 2-3 months in advance. I would suggest to take a couple obedience classes, not just for the obedience, but also for the bonding experience. The dog will learn to work with you during distractions and not focus on other dogs or people. Another suggestion is that if you have a rally-o class in your area, I would do some reserch and may consider that. I show in both agility and rally, I love them both. I have build different types of bonds with my dogs by training and showing in both. :)

Looking for a instructor is kind of tricky. We have 4instructors in my area. I would recommend 3 out of the 4 instructors. (All of the instructors are friends of mine, though) What I look for in a teacher is somone who has had years of expeirence, not just with one dog. I look for someone who has entered trials and there dogs are in excellent/elite levels. I'm in the advanced class so my expectations for a training are higher now. I want my instructor to go to agility seminars so I can keep getting new information, I want him to have at least a MACH on one of his dogs, I would keep going but then I would end up writing a book. ;) Good luck, agility is a lot of fun!

I've got no advice on finding a trainer. I lucked out finding a really good one by just searching on the net, which is probably not the best way to go about it.

I totally agree with Flatcoatluver on the importance of obedience. A lot of places for the beginner's classes, seem to tell you that it's not really all that necessary, because they're introducing your dog to equipment and your dog stays on leash a lot. But my Collie had a really strong "Come", "Stay" and good focus on me and we had waaayyyyy more fun then the other ppl who spent most of their time chasing their dog around the field anytime they had to let go of the leash.

Mister does agility!! Anyways when I was looking into classes and trainers I made sure the other bigger dogs were under the owners control at all times. ANd when they are off leash running the course Mister and I have a "holding" area to wait in. Also not sure how your little one is but I had to find an indoor only class. Where Mister occassionly likes to run around in circles and not come when called:rolleyes:
So being outside wasnt a good thing. Make sure all dogs are up to date with shots and such. ANd the biggest thing I think I could pass along is make sure she liked the trainer and feels "safe" with her. Mister and I went through a few before he found the one he liked. Other then that I think she and you will have a blast. I have found its a good outlet for all that chi engery that running in the yard and long long walks sometimes arent enough for:D
Best of luck keep us posted (please)
oh and Mister says hi

If you can find a place which offers both obedience AND agility, that would be good.

But if not, then for the obedience, please don't go to a PetCo. You want an instructor who HAS dogs! Some places the instructor has book training only, passed a course and is qualified to teach. :rolleyes: You will find instructors with dogs in Agility, Flyball, even field trials, and all are great. They have worked with dogs and know what to look for, how to interpret the dog's posture and help you to understand it.

Agility: see which program offers the most competitions in your area. There are AKC Agility trials, and also APDT* Agility trials. You will find one is more popular in your area, with less travel required to get to a trial.

* American Pet Dog Trainers

Some folks avoid AKC even though they have an AKC dog, because AKC only permits pure breds to compete. Folks feel if you have a mix and are willing to work with it, you are a good owner and should be encouraged. I think AKC just set up a mix breed program, in the past month. Anyhow, that is a bit of background. APDT takes all dogs, purebred and mix.

How old is Ryleigh? They can start training around a year (different requirements for different trainers.. but around that age is when most trainers will let you start.) If Ryleigh is under a year, she can still do foundation work, which will help a lot later on. Some trainers offer a puppy/foundation class to help you get started.

What I look for is someone who is actively competing and has trained a wide variety of dogs in agility. Training a high drive Border Collie isn't like training a low drive Shihtzu, for example. I wish to get far in our agility career so I look for the same in our trainer. I was very lucky to find my trainer as she went to Worlds with her first agility dog. I looked for someone who knew agility is fun, first and foremost. The Q's, ribbons and titles are all nice to have.. but we keep doing it cause it's fun! I also looked for someone who didn't have a HUGE class size.. we usually have around 6, which works out nicely as we get enough one on one attention, but still have time to work on other obstacles as we wait.

I would suggest checking out your local USDAA, NADAC or AKC trial and see if any of the competitors have suggestions. It'll also be nice cause you can socialize your dog there! :)

Good luck finding a trainer! Agility is very fun and addicting!

Thanks everyone for all the information...looks like I have a lot of homework to do LOL.

Ryleigh will be a year in August. I want to do the obedience classes and stuff with her first to reinforce all that she knows, teach her some new things, and get her recall 100%, right now she is about 95% depends on how good the smell she found is LOL. All joking aside...I want the basics to be instant with her so as said before by ParNone we are more likely to enjoy ourselves because I won't be chasing her all over the course.

I figure by the time I do the obedience classes with her I will get to know this lady as she does agility also(classes and one on one training). I have not spoken to her yet and will get a better feel for her once I do. I believe she even allows you to come and observe her classes, if so I am definitely going to do that so I can see how she handles things. I want to be sure she has small dog experience, I want Ryleigh to be confident not a nervous wreck. After we go through the first training session I will judge whether I feel she enjoys it or not, I won't make Ryleigh do something that she is not comfortable with. I want it to be something we both enjoy doing together.

Chopper and Ryleigh say **hi Mister** ;)